My stand partner and I look out over the piazza – somehow, it’s become even more packed since the last break between pieces. We glance at each other and smile nervously as our conductor announces the next song: “All I Ask of You.” My hands are sweating, and I have butterflies in my stomach as our conductor introduces us - me as the arranger, and both of us as the featured soloists. I take a deep breath, glance back at...

Supplemental Essay for UPenn: “Why us” school essay

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The brain is trying to uncover its own secrets. It seems counterintuitive, even paradoxical, but it’s the heart of cognitive science—we, as humans, are trying to discover the mysterious mechanisms that allow us to become us.
Reading This Is Your Brain on Music was a revelatory experience. Beyond the brilliance of the book itself as an examination of our relationship with music, it was my introduction to cognitive science—a discipline that has shaped my academic choices and...

In first grade, we were told to draw something that comes in pairs. Most kids drew shoes, scissors, pants—all perfectly acceptable responses.
I drew a pair of lungs.
Today, I couldn’t say what seven year-old me was thinking when I drew them, but I can say this: I haven’t changed much. I’m still an unconventional thinker, and I still try to break whatever molds I’m placed in.
Growing up in the South, especially with an...

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College Admissions Advice

What I’d change about my application process

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I would have been more careful about applying early. I chose to apply to Yale early and, in retrospect, I was not prepared. My essays were...

My advice about getting recommenders

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Choose teachers not only that like you, but that you trust to...

What set me apart from other applicants

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Geographically, I'm from an underrepresented area. I didn't...

Whether I took out loans or applied for scholarships, and my advice

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I did not take out loans, and I don't think taking out loans is a smart thing to do just to attend an expensive private school. If you cannot afford the financial aid the...

Georgetown - my first interview and one of the best. My interviewer was very kind and my impression is that the interview is worth more there than at other schools. About 30 minutes.
Penn - Skype interview with a non-alumni person somehow affiliated with Penn, I'm not sure. Fairly standard interview, but short - around 20 minutes.
Yale...

How to increase chances at my school (UPenn)

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This is mostly speculation, but Penn seems to place more of an emphasis on well-roundedness than some other...